Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The invention relates to wind instruments of the woodwind family, even those generally made of metal (such as Boehm flutes or saxophones), and, more particularly, double or single reed instruments such as oboes, bassoons, cors anglais (English Horns), clarinets, saxophones, taragots or the like.
In this field, the instrumentsxe2x80x94particularly high quality instrumentsxe2x80x94are generally manufactured in limited production runs and the labor contribution to the cost price is extremely high.
One of the problems with which instrument makers are confronted is that, in addition to the time needed to actually manufacture them, each instrument has then to be adjusted and tuned, which again demands many hours on the part of highly skilled personnel.
A paradoxical consequence of this situation is that innovations are highly limited, the makers of instruments having a tendency to repeat proven designs, with a small margin for maneuver to conform to the requirements of the actual users: the musicians. The latter demand instruments with good tone which are robust, light in weight, and allow precise fingering.
Another problem stems from the maintenance of the instruments: their mechanisms, which are often delicate, do not readily tolerate the knocks and various other accidents to which they are subjected during handling. However, robustness means having heavily engineered mechanisms. One point to which many researchers have devoted attention is that of improving the tightness of the covers, either by using improved pads (U.S. Pat. No. 5,717,151) or by adding an articulation with a cup mounted at the end of the (fixed) shanks carrying the covers, thus improving the homogeneity of the contact (WO 98/38627). Some have sought to improve the linkage (U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,791) and its supports (EP 0 762 379).
Attempts have been made at giving the instruments mechanisms that facilitate adjustments and fingering quality without making the instruments heavier.
Attempts have also been made at making the most of the lightening of the instruments and of the improvement to the linkages to design an instrument which offers novel acoustic possibilities, such as a double bodied instrument which is as easy to handle as a traditional single bodied instrument.
Known multi body wind instruments are, in fact, with the exception of the xe2x80x9caulosxe2x80x9d of ancient Greece, simple combinations of single instruments side by side (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,232,151, 4,341,146) without common linkages and do not make it possible to obtain truly innovative tones or possibilities of musical interpretation.
The subject of the invention is a wind instrument comprising touchpieces actuating covers via a linkage, in which the shank of at least one of the covers is fixed to the link which actuates it by removable fixing allowing the said cover to be removed and adjusted at least angularly with respect to the said link.
According to a preferred embodiment, removable fixing comprises a fixed part formed of two spaced apart plates secured substantially perpendicularly to the corresponding link.
The fixing of a cover to a linkage preferably also allows the cover to be adjusted radially with respect to the link.
According to one advantageous embodiment, the moving part of the removable fixing comprises a split sleeve equipped with a clamping means and a substantially cylindrical rod able to be immobilized by clamping in this split sleeve.
According to a preferred embodiment, the linkage consists of thin walled hollow rods made of a lightweight and rigid material (such as stainless steel, carbon fiber, etc.) mounted on endpieces made of a friction material; the hollow rods are preferably made of stainless steel or carbon fiber and the endpieces are preferably made of brass, bronze, nylon or PTFE.
The linkages may also comprise adjustable stops following the same principle, which comprise a fixed part formed of two spaced apart plates, secured substantially perpendicularly to the link, and a pivoting finger.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the linkages are mounted so as to pivot on supports formed of T-shaped welded hollow section pieces, replacing the traditional keywork pillars.
According to one preferred embodiment, the linkages comprise needle return springs held on the keywork pillars by a corresponding yoke with a clamping screw, which allows them to be replaced easily in the event of breakage and, as the screw acts on the spring, allows the preload thereof to be adjusted.
Resonators are preferably arranged between the body of the instrument and at least one thumb support.
The neck strap loop by means of which the instrument is supported is advantageously associated with the thumb hook, which makes it possible to avoid deformation of the body.
According to one advantageous embodiment, the linkages comprise at least one touchpiece the movement of which is transmitted to the corresponding cover via a flexible filament equipped with a turn system acting on levers.
Another subject of the invention is a wind instrument as described hereinabove, in the form of an aulos, which comprises two bodies side by side, the linkages comprising a set of touchpieces allowing the corresponding covers of each of the two bodies to be actuated simultaneously and/or separately.
According to one advantageous embodiment, this instrument comprises two mouthpieces side by side so as to allow the two bodies to be blown into simultaneously and/or separately.
According to one preferred embodiment, the instrument comprises at least one reed held in place on its mouthpiece by a ligature formed of metal wires equipped with a tensioning device, the said wires resting against the mouthpiece via hollow metal tubes arranged longitudinally around the mouthpiece.
Other particulars and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description hereinafter of some particular embodiments of the invention, reference being made to the appended drawings.